Well the debate still rages on about which car will be quicker from 0-60mph and in the 1/4 mile and we'll never quite know the truth until two of these cars go head to head against each other in stock trim. However, given the technical spec's I've seen, I'm convinced the 2002 Maxima 6sp is going to kick ***. Of course I'm biased, given that I'll be getting the 6sp soon.

Let's look at the specs. Have a look at the spread sheet of numbers I've copied over from the 2002 Maxima and Altima Spec's sheet I obtained from my local dealer in Brampton, Ontario, Canada.

Quite clearly the Maxima gear ratios should yield better acceleration. Many people have stated that 6th gear is only an overdrive gear and that's the only difference between the two cars. It's clear that the addition of the sixth gear has allowed engineers to space the gear ratios closer together on the Maxima.

Furthermore, there is the issue of an additional 15 hp for the Maxima. Of course I've heard people argue that the Maxima weighs 200 lbs. more. From the literature I've reviewed this is not true. The Maxima is only 46 lbs. heavier. From my motorcycle racing days I was told that approximately 7lbs of extra static weight is equivalent to about 1 hp. That means the Altima would gain about 6.5 hp due to its weight advantage. That still leaves the Maxima with about an 8.5 hp advantage over the Altima thanks to its variable capacity muffler.

Given two equal drivers, I believe the Maxima will be quicker. First the closer ratio tranny should yield better acceleration. Second the approx. 8.5 hp advantage will also yield better times.

Regards,
Rudy

 

ah yes i was waiting for the attachment. this could be very interesting once these cars actually start hitting the track.

 

Sorry guys, I left out the attachment on the origanl post.

Regards,
Rudy

 

Hi Amazing2,

Your right about those better weight number listeds on the nissan.ca websit. I should have mentioned that I got the weight numbers from edmunds.com a US site. The US 2002 6sp Maximas must have a slightly different specification making them a little heavier.

I also noted in the features area that HLSD is supposed to be standard on the 6sp SE. So what the heck am I getting in late October?

Sorry about not using the original post I wrote and you replied to. I'm using the second thread I started were I also included the the gear ratio spec sheet. I want to keep this thread ahead of the other.

Regard,
Rudy

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Amazing2

[B]Rudy (wolfmanjack210),
I like the www.Nissan.ca numbers even more:

2002 Altima SE 5 speed = 3,191
2002 Maxima SE 6 speed = 3,221

A difference of: 30 lb.

 

It should be quite interesting. The Altima 5spd has been clocked 0-60 at 6.3 seconds. The new Motor Trend just put the 6spd Maxima at an ESTIMATED 6.4 seconds. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

 

I did a Test on these cars with Cartest, and the maxima got 0-60 at 5.9sec with a 15.3 1/4mile.

I will be testing the altima later

 

Seeing that both the Altima and Maxima are both putting out the same amount of torque at the same rpm, it is pretty damn clear to me that Nissan is either underrating the hp in the Altima or overratting the Maxima. Any gearhead knows that hp is directly calculated from torque at a certain rpm. It is feasibly impossible to have these two 3.5 Vqs produce the same torque at the same rpm yet be 15hp in difference.

The gear ratios between the two cars is only 6-11% difference. Again, any gearhead knows you need to increase the overall ratio atleast by ~20% to get any real improvement in et. Examples would be a Mustang Cobra. It come with 3.27 gears as stock. Most guys move up to 4.11-4.33 gears. That is a whopping 21-25% greater and nets a difference of .2-.3 in the 1/4. An improvement of 11% might get you .1...maybe.



Dave

 

So your saying, Nissan is a bunch of BS'ers trying to pull everyones chain by saying that the cars have different power levels, while infact theres not a damn thing different?

 

That's only 1/10th of a second faster than the 95 5spds

 

Dave,

You'll note that both cars make 246 ft-lb at 4400 rpm(see my spec attachment). At 4400 rpm I would venture to say that both cars are making the same amount of horsepower and you would be correct.

However, the story changes I believe at 5800 rpm. It is possible to have made changes to the Maxima engine system that make it more efficient at a higher rpm. Therefore, I think the Maxima engine system is generating more torque at the higher value of 5800 rpm; i.e. the torque in the Maxima has dropped off less than that of the Altima's, and therefore generates more horsepower. As I see it, one difference between the two cars that contributes to the higher engine efficiency of the Maxima, is the variable capacity muffler. The question though remains, is it good for 15 hp? Maybe there are other differences I have missed.

Regards,
Rudy

 

He meant 14.3 not 15.3. BTW the 95 5spd did 15.2.